


Return

by phinnium



Series: Ribs [6]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Injured Kageyama Tobio, Kageyama Tobio Angst, Kageyama Tobio-centric, Karasuno Family, M/M, Minor Hinata Shouyou/Kageyama Tobio, Minor Iwaizumi Hajime/Oikawa Tooru, POV Ukai Keishin, Parent Ukai Keishin, Protective Iwaizumi Hajime, Protective Oikawa Tooru, dad ukai keishin
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-09
Updated: 2021-02-15
Packaged: 2021-03-10 05:40:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 14,507
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27979011
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/phinnium/pseuds/phinnium
Summary: Tobio returns to volleyball.His newfound friends and family are there with him every step of the way.(The final installment of 'Ribs')
Relationships: Hinata Shouyou & Kageyama Tobio, Hinata Shouyou/Kageyama Tobio, Kageyama Tobio & Ukai Keishin
Series: Ribs [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1965403
Comments: 61
Kudos: 390





	1. Ukai: The start of the day

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoy!

Keishin didn't like kids. He would always remain adamant about that.

This particular set of kids however, they were the exception. And one certain black haired setter had without a doubt managed to worm his way into in Ukai's heart.

"You all set? Got everything you need?"

It was Tobio's first official match since his injury. And needless to say, they were all buzzing with excitement.

Though, none of them were even close to being as excited as Tobio.

It had been nearly four months since he was forced off the court, quite literally kicking and screaming (albeit they were screams of agony, but nevertheless), and it had been a long journey to where they were today.

He'd gained friends, a new family, and to no one's surprise, a boyfriend by the name of Shouyou Hinata.

He'd healed. In more ways than one.

And now, at seven in the morning, they were rushing around to finally get out the door, praying that there wouldn't be any traffic on their route to school.

The ravenette was filing through his bag for the fourth time now, checking again to make sure he had everything he'd need for the day, his trembling hands the picture of nervous excitement.

"I'm pretty sure. I just need to find my- Shouyou! Could you look upstairs for my gym shoes?" Tobio's voice echoed up the stairs, a muffled, "yep," being the response, presumably from the boy's bedroom.

Ukai flinched at the excessive volume, "oi, don't shout so loud, it's too early for that. Jeez."

Tobio turned away, hiding his face and mumbling a quick, "sorry." For a moment, Keishin thought he had somehow managed to upset him, reaching out with a concerned hand as the boy's shoulders shook. His worry ceased in an instant when he heard the ravenette's stifled giggles.

The blonde frowned, the relief he felt finding that the boy was, in fact, not crying, quickly drowned out by his displeasure at being laughed at.

"Hey, what's so funny? I'm being completely serious here!"

"He's laughing 'cause you sound like an old man," the woman wandered into the room, leaning over the teenager's shoulder where he was crouched, and placing his lunch box atop his bag. His eyes widened as he mumbled a quick thanks, pulling the zipper open and shoving it inside.

Keishin's frown deepened, "wha- Mother, I am twenty-six years of age. I am not old."

She leant back up, ruffling Tobio's hair with a teasing smirk on her lips, "why're you getting so defensive then, oh dear sweet son of mine?"

"I swear, everyone in this household is only out to antagonise me," he grumbled, stepping towards the door as Hinata's hurried footsteps barrelled down the stairs.

Her smirk remained, "only 'cause you make it so easy."

A resolute stomp sounded as the red head reached the final step, his school bag hung over his shoulder. Tobio stood, turning to the shorter boy, "ah, Shou, did you get my shoes?"

The spiker beamed, holding up the footwear, "yep, right here! Have you got everything else you need?"

The ravenette quickly pushed the shoes into his already fairly overstuffed gym bag, struggling with the zipper. Shouyou quickly joined his side, helping him fight to pull it closed.

"Yeah, I should do," the taller boy replied, his response slightly delayed as he strained with the bag.

"Good, because we're leaving," the blonde stated, pulling the door open and stepping back to let the boys out.

His ma scoffed, "aw, you never used to run away from a fight. What happened, sweetheart? Maybe you really are getting old."

Hinata giggled as he stepped outside.

Keishin sighed. It was far too early to be dealing with two teenagers _and_ a teasing old woman.

"Take note, not old, just fed up of being bullied every single morning of my life."

"I don't bully you."

Okay, one of those teenagers he was willing to put up with.

"I know, Tobio," he ruffled the boy's hair mussing it up more than his mother already had. He turned back to the older woman, "at least _someone_ appreciates me."

She chuckled, "Good god, at this rate you're gonna miss the match."

Keishin trudged through the doorway, "this isn't over."

"Oh, I never said it was."

Ukai marched to the car at the edge of the road, Hinata bounding in tow.

Tobio remained by the doorway for a moment, smiling softly at the older woman, "bye, Grandma."

Standing on her toes, she wrapped her arms around his neck pulling him into an embrace. He'd had more practice with hugging over the past four months, and he returned the gesture with ease.

Swaying them back and forth as she hugged him tight, she kissed his cheek, making an exaggerated sound. Tobio chuckled.

Ukai smiled at the exchange as he and Hinata climbed in the car, waiting for the ravenette to join them.

"I'll see you later, honey," the older woman said, pulling away, a proud smile painting her features, "go kick Seijoh's ass for me."

He nodded, returning her smile, "I will."

And with that, he wandered off to the car, and clambered inside.

The journey was short, though for Keishin it felt like hours.

Tobio was nervously shifting in the backseat the entire journey, Hinata attempting to sooth him with gentle words and handholding. Ukai felt for the kid.

Aoba Johsai were their opponents today, and of course whenever they played against them, Tobio would get like this.

It was the only team he would ever truly become worried about playing against, purely because he'd have to face the possibility of running into Kunimi and Kindaichi off the court.

While he'd made up with Oikawa, the two first years were still possible antagonists. And Tobio was worried.

This time though, Ukai would be damned if they got anywhere near his kid without good reason.

He said as much to Tobio, on the way. Well, perhaps with slightly less... parental phrasing.

"Kid, if you need help at any point, just remember me or Hinata are always a call away. Just make sure you take your phone with you when you're off the court."

Of course, the ravenette would deny these fears' existence anyway, "I don't need protection. I'll be fine."

"I'm not saying you need protection, kid. I'm just saying if you need _help_ , you know where to find me."

"Not a joke, I will gladly smash Kindaichi or Kunimi's faces in for you," Hinata added, his expression proving that it was most certainly _not_ a joke.

Either way, the coach let out a breathy chuckle, "maybe don't do that, kid."

The redhead grumbled, but complied, muttering words Keishin couldn't quite hear under his breath. He assumed they were threats.

The taller boy smiled, holding back a laugh. Ukai smirked as he glanced in the rear view mirror, seeing that Tobio's tense posture had evened out a little more. At least he was now slightly more at ease.

Minutes later, they pulled up at the school gate.

"Alright, out, I need to park the car. You guys get to the gym, and I'll meet you all there in a few minutes."

The pair climbed out of the back seats, grabbing their things and closing (slamming in Hinata instance) the doors behind them.

Keishin watched as they began to wander away, ready to continue driving, when he noticed something on the backseat. His eyes widened as he quickly rolled down his window.

"Oi, Tobio! Your gym bag!"

The ravenette fumbled for a moment, realising that he had, indeed, left his gym bag on the back seat. Ukai stretched, grabbing the bag by the strap and dragging it into his lap, before passing it to Tobio through the window.

"Try and not forget this next time, huh?" He smirked.

Tobio nodded, an slight redness to his cheeks, "thanks, Dad."

They froze.

If it was possible, Tobio's face somehow managed to resemble a tomato even more now, as his eyes widened almost comically.

Ukai imagined his expression was much the same.

The blonde struggled for words as he tried to process what the boy had just called him. But before he could think of an adequate response, the setter turned on his heels and sprinted, Hinata chasing after him, assuming this was simply one of the races the pair used to have.

He stared after them for a few moments longer, the word replaying in his head.

_Dad._

Tobio had called him _Dad._

Ukai was only twenty-six. This was a fact he had to remind many people of over the past year, and especially in the past few months. He was no where near having biological kids, if he had any at all.

Yet even still, Keishin felt a joy that almost burst his heart at the seams, at knowing that Tobio saw him as a father figure. That Tobio _trusted_ him enough to see him in that way.

The smile he wore on his face as he parked up his car probably made him look like some sort of manic to anyone else in the parking lot, but he couldn't find it in himself to care.

_Dad._

Maybe he could get used to that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here it is, the beginning of the end!  
> I'll save all of the sappy words and stuff for the final chapter, so for now I'm just gonna doa bit of explanation, and then the end notes as normal lol.  
> This'll have five chapters, like Collisions and Consequences, and each chapter will be from the perspective of one of the four people who starred as POV in all of the other sequels. The final chapter of course, will be from Kags perspective though.  
> Also, these chapters will likely be quite a lot shorter than all of the other ones, but hopefully that won't make them any less entertaining!
> 
> I've said it before I'll say it again, Ukai is twenty six, but good god this mans acts like a full on dad holy shit. Also Tobio is getting the happy family life he deserves and i love him.  
> Tobio is stupid and accidently called ukai dad lol what a silly man. Ukai is fully vibin tho this mans is living currently. man may only be eleven years older than tobes but would probably adopt him in a heartbeat. to be fair he kinda already has.
> 
> Anyway.  
> I hope you enjoyed, feel free to leave Kudos or a comment, they fuel my writing :)  
> Thank you so much for reading!


	2. Oikawa: Empathy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oikawa and Iwaizumi watch Kindaichi and Kunimi apologise.
> 
> (Content warning: contains mentions of suicide/self-harm ideation.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoy!

"Kindaichi, Kunimi."

Oikawa almost laughed at the speed the two first years turned around, their eyes wide with shock. Their captain was rarely strict, his easygoing nature extending into all aspects of his life. He pushed for his team to always strive to improve, but he was never overly firm.

He'd never used this tone of voice in front of anyone on the team before, let alone directed it at them.

"Y- yes, Captain?" Kindaichi responded, his eyes flitting between Oikawa and Iwaizumi stood beside him.

The setter raised an eyebrow, "I believe you're both forgetting something."

The match was over, it had been for a while now.

Aoba Johsai won once again, though it wasn't exactly surprising. Tobio hadn't been entirely on his game quite yet, having only just returned to volleyball as it was. And four months was a long time.

It would take more than a few weeks to be placed back on track, even for someone as skilled as Kageyama.

Even so, most members of Karasuno were still wearing blinding grins, thrilled to simply have the setter back on the court with them. Though, it was clear to see that none were more pleased than Tobio himself.

Oikawa couldn't help but smirk each time his eyes found the younger boy's face. He'd been wearing the same dopey smile all day.

Karasuno had already packed up, ready to go, so their coach's had given the teams some time to mingle as they cooled down. Oikawa and Iwaizumi sat further to the sidelines as their teams mixed, surveying over the various groupings.

Kageyama had talked to a fair few people, each presumably congratulating him on his return, and on his surprisingly good performance, considering how long it had been. The only person beside him now though was his red headed little spiker, the two chatting idly as they waited to leave.

Oikawa chuckled when Iwaizumi pointed out their hands clutched in each other, and the soft, love-struck gazes each of them held whenever the other spoke.

Who knew someone as quiet and seething as Tobio could attract the personification of the sun itself?

The captain found his sights being drawn to his Kouhai's though, when he realised that despite it nearly being time for Karasuno to leave, they were still yet to follow through on their instructions.

\--------------------------------------

_"You expect us to actually_ talk to _him??"_

_"We_ expect _you," Iwaizumi interrupted, the captain watching him steadily become more and more irritated as the conversation continued, "to_ apologise. _We're not asking you to become best friends with him, but good god! Is it so hard to just say you're sorry?"_

_"When it's Kageyama, yes!"_

_Oikawa sighed, "do you have any idea whatsoever, of how shitty you acted towards him was?"_

_Kunimi stepped forward, "Senpai, with all due respect, do you have any idea how shitty_ he _acted towards_ us _?"_

_"Yes. Yes I do. But if I'm recalling this correctly, I seem to remember yourself and Kindaichi discussing -rather loudly, might I add- about how after our first practice match with Karasuno, Kageyama tried to apologise."_

_Kindaichi paled._

_"That's right," Iwaizumi added, "and you refused his apology, did you not? And then proceeded to gloat about how 'fucking stupid' he looked. 'It fucking looked like he stopped breathing when I yelled.'"_

_The Captain smirked. Though he wasn't particularly pleased that had even been said to Tobio in the first place, Oikawa knew it'd be significantly effective against any argument his Kouhai's could form. He was glad he'd brought Iwaizumi along for this. That particular detail was something he hadn't remembered._

_"Look, he probably doesn't even remember-"_

_"Oh, and not forgetting all of the other things you said to him," the Captain interrupted, "the words 'useless', 'worthless' and '_ monster _' seem to ring a bell."_

_Kunimi lowered his head, shame tensing his shoulders. Oikawa was glad at least one of them was seeing the error of their ways._

_Kindaichi however, was not giving in, "Senpai, if you'd heard some of the things he said to_ us _-"_

_"Kindaichi, I am fully aware of the various things Kageyama said to you and the rest of the team. Every single one of the things he said were in relation to volleyball, because he thought he was helping you."_

_The younger boy sucked in a breath, ready to protest. Oikawa spoke before he could respond, "And yes, I am aware his desire to help you does not undermine the fact that what he said was not helpful in the slightest, and was instead rather insulting, and no doubt difficult to deal with."_

_As much as Oikawa knew Kindaichi was in the wrong currently, he couldn't ignore the fact that he'd been wronged in the past as well._

_"But" he continued, "the things you said were_ not _related to volleyball, nor his skills. You poked fun at his grades, his appearance. You pushed him around, called him names. Told him he wasn't worth anyone's time. I mean, for fucks sake!"_

_The first years flinched as Oikawa raised his voice, letting out a manic, cold huff of laughter._

_The captain knew he was getting himself riled up at the thought of it. Even when he'd still been in middle school with Tobio, he'd never gone this far. He'd kept all of his remarks and teasing on the court, and it was_ always _about volleyball. Never anything else. Even back then he knew that wouldn't be fair._

_When he'd continued talking to Tobio more recently, and was informed of the details of what Kindaichi and Kunimi had done, Oikawa realised that the same did not apply to them._

_He was angry now, as he stepped towards Kindaichi. Iwaizumi gave him an uncertain glance. The Captain ignored it. His face was inches from the younger's, voice no louder than a whisper, "you made him feel like he was nothing,"_

_Kindaichi's mouth was clamped shut, any argument dying on his tongue, while Kunimi glared at the floor beside him, adamantly refusing to make eye contact._

_The captain did not back away._

_"Next time you see him, you will apologise," he hissed, "and it better be fucking sincere."_

_The younger boys flinched, before mumbling, "yes, sir."_

_Finally he took a step back, and let his calm and carefree mask take its place upon his features, replacing the jutted lip with a easygoing smile, "alright, you're dismissed. Good work today."_

_The first years didn't allow themselves to be caught off guard by the sudden change in tone, simply bowing and offering a stuttered thank you, before hurrying to the club room, as far away from this conversation as they could get._

_"That was a little much," the vice-captain frowned._

_"They needed a wake up call," Oikawa reasoned, heading back inside the gym._

_"You didn't have to do_ that _though."_

_The taller boy sighed, "well, how would you have dealt with it? Sit down and have a nice friendly chat?"_

_Iwaizumi's frown deepened, "you know what? I might've done. It's better than threatening them."_

_"I didn't threaten them, I simply made it clear that their refusal to apologise would not be tolerated."_

_Iwaizumi scoffed, "yeah, there was clearly an underlying threat there, Shittykawa."_

_"So what if there was? You_ know _the things they said to Tobio!"_

_"Yeah, I do. But you can't just threaten every Kouhai who refuses to listen to you!"_

_The taller boy couldn't help but bristle at that, "they're hardly 'every Kouhai', Iwaizumi. If anything, I'm regretting not being even more aggressive than I was."_

_The spiker's expression was suddenly contorted into one of blinding rage, "you're the fucking Captain!" He yelled, " no matter what they've done you can't just threaten them, idiot!"_

_Oikawa met his rising volume, "I didn't threaten them!"_

_"You used intimidation, Oikawa! That in itself was threatening enough, and you know it," the boy spat._

_The brunette knew Iwaizumi's arguments were completely reasonable, and yet he still couldn't find it in himself to care that he'd scared a few first years, after everything they'd done Kageyama._

_Tobio, a sad, lonely, grieving child._

_"Yeah, well maybe they deserved it!"_

_Iwaizumi ran a hand down his face, akin to an exhausted parent. Though the gesture only served to aggravate Oikawa more, "Look, I'm just as angry as you about what they did-"_

_"Clearly fucking not!" He fumed._

_"Would you let me finish?" The shorter boy snapped, his tone becoming harsh for just a moment, " I'm just as angry as you, but taking it out on them nearly a year after it's happened isn't going to help anyone. Including Kageyama."_

_Oikawa let out a hollow bark of laughter, "so what the fuck do you propose we do then, oh great wise one?"_

_Iwaizumi scowled at his mockery, "hey, watch your fucking tone, asshole," he growled, " I'm proposing we punish them. Ban them from the team for a few weeks, and_ show _them that that behaviour will_ never _be tolerated within this team, whether it's in retaliation or otherwise. That's in addition to apologising to Tobio."_

_Letting out a harsh exhale, Oikawa squeezed his eyes shut._

_"Fine," he hissed through his teeth, "but I swear to god if they fuck up when they apologise, or if they pull that type of shit again-"_

_"They're off the team. I know."_

_When he felt a hand rest on his shoulder, he let his eyes slip open once more, to be met with Iwaizumi's softly smirking face. His raw throat throbbed, reminding him of all the shouting he'd done as regret began to flow through him._

_"I'm sorry," he rasped._

_"I'm sorry, too," the shorter boy replied, opening his arms slightly in offering._

_Oikawa slowly stepped into the embrace, letting his head fall to rest on his partner's shoulder, sighing softly as he felt a pair of arms wrap around his middle, and a chin on his own shoulder._

_"I know I'm not displaying it as much as I should. As much as I want to," he mumbled into the setter's ear, "but I promise you, I am angry. I'm fucking furious."_

_He paused as Oikawa huffed a quiet chuckle, "I don't think I've been this angry in a long time."_

_Pulling away, his gaze immediately found Tooru's, "but you have to understand," he continued, "we need to be the responsible ones here. We can't just go making trouble with some first years because of something that happened in another school, with a kid who barely even associates with them anymore._

_"If we do that, then we'll get in trouble," he said, before smirking again, "and I am way too close to getting out of this place to jeopardise it all now."_

_Oikawa let out another laugh, before he let it fall flat again._

_"We both know it's not that simple at all," he whispered._

_The spiker sighed, "yeah. Yeah, we do," he responded, "but the adults won't see it in the same way as us. And it's shitty and stupid considering all the fucking bullshit they put Kageyama through when he was at his most vulnerable."_

_"And all of the shit Tobio nearly did to himself as a result."_

_Iwaizumi hugged him again, holding him tighter this time. It hurt to imagine the things Tobio had implied in their recent conversations._

_Middle-school third-year Tobio, getting the sleeping pills out of the bathroom cabinet, only to place it on the dining table and stare at it for the entire night, considering._

_Finding the sharpest knife in the house and just holding it to his skin._

_Not slicing._

_Just holding it there._

_Feeling the cold and imagining how it would feel to instead have an open wound._

_Not eating for days on end purely because he forgot to, so distracted with school and volleyball and_ grief _, that filling his stomach simply drifted from his mind._

_Based on the comments he had relayed to his old Senpais's, it wasn't hard to guess where his self harm... ideation, had come from._

_'He's messed up in the head, a freak.'_

_'Just ignore him, he'll go away eventually. It works for the rest of us.'_

_'I wouldn't be surprised if his own family hates him. Who the hell would be able to love a blank slate like that?'_

_'No one wants you here, Kageyama, just quit already.'_

_'The only place you're worth anything is on the court, and you can't even do that right.'_

_'Just do us all a favour and fuck off, Kageyama. Preferably make it permanent.'_

_Tobio recited one incident, in which he'd been alone in the gym after practice, and someone had burst in the room yelling, "If you love volleyball so much, then I'm sure you wouldn't mind if you stayed in here for a little while."_

_They locked the doors before Tobio could even get to the other side of the gym._

_It was winter when that happened. He spent the entire night in freezing conditions, wearing only a short sleeved shirt and shorts, shivering through the night, until one of their coaches unlocked the gym to find him half conscious and practically hypothermic._

_Kageyama hadn't seen the face of the boy who'd done it._

_No one owned up. So no one was properly punished._

_Tobio had been taught to despise himself through other people's hatred. Through other people's actions._

_Because if something like that happened frequently enough, it wouldn't take long for you to convince yourself that you might deserve it._

_Neither Oikawa or Iwaizumi would stand for that._

_"And that, yeah," Iwaizumi continued, his voice suddenly wavering, "there are so many layers to this that the adults won't understand, or won't listen to. So this is the best we've got at the moment. And I know it's crappy, but just remember that Kageyama isn't having to put up with any of it any more," he chuckled, "Karasuno would probably kill for that kid if it came to it."_

_The taller boy smiled, "yeah, yeah they probably would."_

_"He's getting better. He's safe. We just have to deal with these two kids, and try and enforce as much justice as we can."_

_Nodding, he sighed, "yeah. Yeah, okay."_

_They finally pulled out of their embrace, soft smiles on their lips._

_Iwaizumi nodded towards the door, "let's just go get changed, and go home, yeah? It's gonna get dark soon."_

_Oikawa opened his mouth to reply, only to silence himself again as the sound of footsteps sprinting away echoed into the gym from outside._

_The two shared a glance, before racing to the doorway, poking their heads outside just in time to see a blur or white and blue disappear around a corner._

_\--------------------------------------------------------_

"Kageyama's over there, just so you know," Iwaizumi gestured towards the boy in question. He was stood at the edge of the corridor, with Hinata stood alongside him.

Kunimi sighed in defeat, giving in far more easily than he had done during their original conversation, "c'mon, Kindaichi."

The taller boy stood staring after his friend, bewildered at his sudden compliance, until Iwaizumi gave him a shove, sending him stumbling forwards.

"Get going. We'll be over here watching, so don't try anything stupid."

However much he complained, it seemed Kindaichi had realised there was no escape, so finally gave in. He followed after Kunimi, grumbling all the way as they approached their former team mate.

Oikawa and Iwaizumi moved to stand closer, as inconspicuously as possible, listening in to the conversation.

Hinata was the first to notice the pair, and his voice- startlingly quickly- dropped to a growl, "the hell do _you_ want?" It was almost impressive the emotional range this kid had.

The ravenette turned at Hinata's sudden drop in pitch, and his entire body tensed at the sight of the two boys. The captain saw the frown on Iwaizumi's face deepen at that.

"We, uh-" Kindaichi struggled, his eyes flitting over to Kunimi, "we wanted to talk to Kageyama."

The red head raised an eyebrow, and Oikawa had to stifle a laugh at the bewildered expressions his Kouhai's sported. It was clear they were indicating for Hinata to leave, but surely they weren't that stupid to think the spiker would be leaving Tobio alone at _all_ , let alone in their company.

Unsurprisingly, Hinata stated as such, "If you think I'm going anywhere, then you're stupid. As much as Tobio can fight his own battles, that doesn't mean I'm leaving him alone. Especially not with the likes of _you_."

If looks could kill, Oikawa was sure his Kouhai's would be long gone by now. Beside him, Iwaizumi huffed a laugh, before whispering, "I like that kid."

The captain gave a breathy chuckle himself, returning to the conversation.

Kindaichi raised his hands, as if surrendering, "fine. That's fine. We uh- we wanted to- just uh... we wanted..." he trailed off, his voice becoming quieter word by word.

Kageyama scowled, refusing to make eye contact with either boy, "wanted to what?" He hissed, spiting out the sentence with venom.

In hindsight, Hinata was completely correct. Tobio could absolutely fight his own battles.

Kunimi sighed, growing frustrated with his partners inept skill in getting to the point, "we wanted to apologise."

If it was even possible, Kageyama tensed even further, presumably in surprise this time. Hinata gave his shoulder a gentle squeeze.

"We treated you awfully during middle school, and we know that simply saying we're sorry won't be enough to make up for it," to Oikawa's surprise, Kunimi genuinely seemed sincere, "but I _am_ sorry. I regret all of the things I said to you, and if I could take them back, I would."

He finished with a bow. The captain had never seen him bow that low.

For a moment, Kageyama seemed to struggle for a reply, staring down at Kunimi as he bowed, his eyes wide as saucers. He quickly composed himself, and though he did finally make eye contact with the shorter boy, he did not dignify the apology with a response.

Oikawa frowned as Kindaichi took a step backwards, seeming to think the deed was done, despite the fact that he'd barely even said anything. He himself hadn't even apologised. He seemed to think Kunimi apologising for the two of them was good enough.

The brunette was only a hair's width away from stepping in, when Tobio turned his attention to the boy in question.

His gaze turned cold as his eyes met his former team mate's, "are you just moral support or something? Why're you even here if you're not gonna say anything?"

_Holy shit._

The brunette gaped, turning to face his partner, only to be met with one of the proudest grins he'd ever seen painting the other's face.

Tobio had _never_ spoken back quite like that before. The kid learned how to properly stand up for himself, and without yelling too.

Despite the fact that it was his own team mates stood in front of the boy, entirely dumbfounded, he couldn't help but feel a swell of pride in his chest toward the ravenette.

Much akin to himself and Iwaizumi, Kindaichi's eyes went wide at the questions. Hinata glared at the pair with smug smirk on his lips.

"I- no, I'm not just-" the boy stuttered, unable to find an adequate response. Kunimi elbowed him in the side, the action luckily seeming to bring him back to himself a little.

He sighed, and Oikawa could imagine the internal argument inside his head. Kindaichi was far to prideful for his own good. Apparently even apologising when he _knew_ he was in the wrong was far too difficult for him.

With the exhale of breath though, it seemed he'd swallowed his pride at least a little bit, as the defensiveness of his stance lessened, and he lowered his head in a bow.

Oikawa's eyes were drawn to the ravenette, as a startled look crossed his face, as if he hadn't been expecting the boy to give in.

He almost looked hopeful. Oikawa felt much the same.

"I'm sorry," Kindaichi mumbled, practically inaudible. The brunette had to hold in a groan.

And with that, all the hope and surprise in the setters form disappeared, instead replaced with impatience and irritation. Though even from the distance they were stood, Oikawa didn't miss the disappointment in his eyes.

Kunimi glared at his partner and his half-assed attempt at an apology.

"Fine. You're sorry. Sure," Tobio responded, his voice no longer holding any of the malice it had before, now sounding nothing but defeated. He picked up the bag sat at his feet, his red headed partner doing the same.

The pair made to leave, clearly not wanting to be a part of this conversation any longer, "I'll see you both at our next match."

Oikawa sighed. That was that, then.

Iwaizumi glanced at him, shaking his head, as he too picked up is gym bag, ready to leave.

They both froze, however, when Kindaichi finally shot into action, grabbing Kageyama by the wrist, "wait!"

The ravenette glared, but he didn't appose.

"I'm sorry, okay?" He began, and if Oikawa didn't know any better he'd say he almost sounded desperate, "I shouldn't have said any of the things I said to you. I shouldn't have talked about you the way that I did. And I'm sorry."

"You're both only apologising 'cause Oikawa and Iwaizumi asked you to, right?"

The captain sucked in a breath.

Damn. Tobio really wasn't as dumb as he seemed.

"They've been stood right there the whole time," he continued, nodding in their direction, "but you knew that already, huh?"

Kageyama yanked his wrist free of the taller boy's grasp, scowling, "you can keep your apology. I don't want anything to do with either of you outside of matches, anyway."

He slipped the same hand just freed from Kindaichi's grip into Hinata's smaller palm, their fingers locking together easily. The four Sejoh players watched in stunned silence.

"Thank you for trying, Senpai's," it took Oikawa a moment to realise Tobio was addressing him, "but I really don't care what my old team mates think of me anymore. I did bad stuff too, and I tried to apologise for it. You didn't accept. The difference is, I didn't have to be coaxed into saying I was sorry in the first place."

He turned, "the difference is empathy."

With that, the pair walked away, joining their team mates. It wasn't long before smiles painted their features, as if nothing had even happened in the first place.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> fun fact: you don't actually have to ever forgive someone if they've wronged you.  
> I am very much exaggerating on what happened in canon, cause obviously none of this stuff happened. But i kinda hinted in a chapter of collissions and consequences that kageyama probably would've thought about hurting himself, and it's been hinted in other sequels, but i've never fully stated it up until this point. 
> 
> I am also exaggerating on how shitty kindaichi and Kunimi are. I actually really like them in canon, I find them to be very interesting characters. And to be honest, I actually quite like them in this story as well, cause they didn't know what kags was going through at the time, so their reactions to his anger- in their eyes at least- was completely deserved. He was angry, and so were they.   
> And they did try to apologise here, and i know kageyama said that the difference between them was empathy, but that wasn't strictly true. Both Kunimi and Kindaichi felt a least a tad bit of empathy, understanding now that they're older and know a little more about kags, but they didn't really know how to express that empathy. Much like most kids wouldn't.   
> Even so, I'm not going to have Kags, Kindaichi and Kunimi interact any more that this, because i want to reitterate that it is perfectly okay to not forgive someone if you don't want to.   
> And even after someone has apologised, you don't owe them closure.   
> Kags tried to apologise, it wasn't accepted. Kunimi and Kindaichi tried to apologise, it wasn't accepted.  
> That's all there is to it.  
> In some cases it's not as simple as forgive and forget.
> 
> Anyway!  
> there was also a bit of IwaOi in there with a sprinkle of shouting lol. it seems i am incapable of writing something that isn't angst whoops.  
> right then, thank you very much for reading, I hope you enjoyed!  
> Feel free to leave kudos or a comment, they fuel my writing :)


	3. Sugawara: Pride and forgiveness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Suga is proud of his Kouhais and how far they've come.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoy!

It was with immense pride that Suga watched Karasuno's match against Aoba Johsai. And surprisingly, it was with immense relief that he stepped off the court, leaving his temporary position empty for Kageyama to take back his rightful place.

It was almost fitting really, that the first match he returned to was against the same team they'd played all those months ago, when he first became their starting setter. When he first took Sugawara's place.

When he apologised over and over again to his Senpai, tears in his eyes, and managed to make Suga feel guilty for the anger he'd felt beforehand.

He cried when Kageyama and Hinata used their quick attack.

So did the pair in question.

In fact, Hinata had lifted the taller boy at his waist and spun them both around, blinding grins on their faces and almost manic laughter escaping their lips.

The entire team erupted with screaming, interrupting the match briefly as they all ran onto the court, enveloping their freak duo in a massive group hug. Suga didn't miss how a vast majority of the opposing team had stared on with smiles, despite having just lost a point. Oikawa looked much on the brink of tears himself.

It took them nearly five minutes to actually return to the match, their excitement finally dialling back a little when Ukai encouraged (commanded) them back to their places. It was hard to take him quite as seriously though, when he too sported a proud grin.

In the end, they lost.

But no one was downhearted.

In fact, it was possibly the most exhilarated Sugawara had seen the team after _any_ match, let alone a losing one.

Loitering in the foyer of the gym, Kageyama had been involved in conversation the entire time, people from both Karasuno and Aoba Johsai making their approach to congratulate him, both on his return, and on his playing skills. He'd only been slightly off his game, despite not having played an official match in over four months, and that fact seemed to take most people by surprise.

Not Suga though. There wasn't a doubt in his mind that Kageyama would be back to his full ability and continuing to progress in absolutely no time at all. And he intended to be there with him every step of the way.

Of course, Hinata had adamantly remained at Kageyama's side the whole time, though it was unlikely the setter was opposed in the first place. The red head's arm had been hooked around the taller boy's waist for nearly half and hour, and he didn't show any signs of letting go either.

It seemed the amounts of people approaching the pair had lessened now, probably sensing the two were wanting to be left alone.

Though he had been intending to talk to the pair also, Suga figured it might be better to let them have this time. He'd get the opportunity later anyway.

A few minutes later however, not long after he'd gotten invested in his own conversations with Daichi and a few others, the setter noticed Kageyama and Hinata were no longer alone, and their smiles were suddenly no where to be found.

That was when he realised it was Kindaichi and Kunimi they were talking to.

"The hell do they think they're doing?" Suga growled to no one in particular, though his comment grabbed the attention of Daichi and a few other team mates.

The captain's expression turned sour upon noticing the situation, "I don't know," he responded, his voice low.

"Give it a minute," Tsukishima joined the conversation, nonchalant as ever, "I'm sure the freak duo's got it handled."

Suga tried his best to not appear surprised by the comment, but his head had whipped around to face the blonde before he could stop himself.

"What?" The taller boy questioned, "is it that surprising for me to have a little faith in my team mates?"

"A little, yeah," Tanaka scoffed, a teasing smirk on his lips, "but it's good to see you actually do give a shit."

Tsukishima frowned, "yes, well," he mumbled, "a lot has changed in the past few months."

The second year barked a laugh, "aw, Tsuki's gone and got himself a heart!"

"And _you_ still haven't gained any brain cells, but you don't see me pointing it out."

Suga found himself letting out a short laugh with the rest of the group, while Tanaka grumbled at the comment.

Suddenly, Kageyama bent down to grab his bag, gaining the third year's attention once more as he began to walk away from his former team mates, Hinata in tow. He had to hold himself back from yelling when Kindaichi reached out and gripped his Kouhai's wrist. Instead of shouting, he took a sharp inhale, alerting the people around him.

Nishinoya appeared at Tanaka's side, having been attracted by the commotion following Tsukishima's insult, and he looked _furious_ , "I swear I'm gonna-"

"No, you're not," Daichi interrupted, "unless Kageyama clearly needs help, then you're not gonna do anything."

As much as Suga hated it, he knew his friend was right.

Kageyama wasn't defenceless. He knew how to take care of himself, especially against people like Kindaichi and Kunimi. Unless he called for assistance, his team mates would do nothing except wait with open arms for him to come to them.

Besides, if he _really_ needed help, he had Hinata at his side, and he was _scary_ when he wanted to be.

Waiting with bated breath, all of them seemed to slump with relief when Kageyama forcefully tugged his wrist free of Kindaichi's hold, immediately slipping his palm into Hinata's.

He turned for a moment, saying one last thing to the pair, before finally beginning to make his way over to them. Hinata's look of absolute wonder as he stared at the taller boy was not missed by their team mates.

They wasted no time in their interrogation, "the hell was that?" Nishinoya inquired, his anger having dissipated slightly, though not entirely.

"Nothing important," Kageyama shrugged.

The red head gaped at him, "'nothing important', my ass! You just gave those assholes the biggest 'fuck you' I've ever seen! It was badass as hell!"

While Nishinoya and Tanaka cackled at the profanities spewing from the small spiker, Suga focussed his attention on Tobio, "are you sure it's all okay? Not that I don't think you can handle yourself, but Hinata's right. Those guys _are_ assholes."

The ravenette sighed heavily, "they tried to apologise," he explained quietly, the second year's laughter dying off as they listened, "I didn't accept."

"I'm assuming the 'fuck you' was a little extra you sprinkled in?" Tanaka provided, smirking.

Kageyama frowned, "the 'fuck you' part was them thinking they're entitled to my forgiveness just because they said the word 'sorry'," he glared at the ground, "it wasn't even a sincere apology, Oikawa and Iwaizumi-san _forced_ them to do it. They were listening in the whole time."

Suga spared a glance at the Aoba Johsai pair, realising the third years in question had now joined them. Even from this distance, he could see their expressions were contorted in rage as they spoke to the younger players.

The setter's gaze softened when it landed back on his Kouhai. Hinata had wrapped his arm around the taller boy's waist again, squeezing his hip comfortingly every few seconds.

"So, it's not 'nothing important' then?" Suga asked softly.

The boy sighed once more, his upset beginning to show through, "they're not even sorry. After all of the shit they said to me, they're not even-" he cut himself off, lowering his head and hiding his face from view.

Hinata gently pulled the boy into an embrace, wrapping his arms tightly around his middle, and rubbing circles into his back and swaying slowly.

No one spoke. There wasn't anything they could say to make this better.

The pair pulled apart, and the silence was broken by a hesitant voice.

"For the record," Tsukishima began slowly, looking unusually unsure of himself, "you may not have their true apology, but-" he paused, taking a breath.

And to everyone's surprise, he bowed.

"You have mine."

Kageyama stared, aghast, as the taller boy straightened out again, "I wasn't exactly the model team mate when we first met. And to be fair, neither were you," he sighed, "but, you had your reasoning. I didn't. I was just an asshole for the sake of it. So, I'm sorry."

It was by no means a good apology, but even a blind man could see it was sincere. _God_ , his Kouhai's really had gone through some personal growth in the past few months hadn't they?

"I know it doesn't make up for their fuck up, but I thought it might be a good time to-"

"Tsukishima."

The blonde's gaze shot to meet Kageyama's.

"I'm sorry too. And I forgive you."

Suga beamed.

Pride seemed to be a common feeling in his chest these days.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i know considering the amount of time this took, it's pretty underwhelming lol  
> but tbh i am seriously losing motivation on this story, i really just wanna move onto other things, so it's been hard to write for. But I am going to finish it, I promise you that. Hopefully the next chapter won't take as long lmao
> 
> but anyway, Kags is upset (what else is new), suga is proud and tsukishima is sorry (unlike some other players i know).  
> this was supposed to be suga centric, but everything i wrote with that in mind was massively angsty and kinda shit, so i did this instead. It's from suga's POV but it's not really about suga, if you get what i mean. 
> 
> The next chapter is hinata, and the final one is kags.   
> i can't guarrantee they'll be longer than this, but the hinata one will probably be more dialogue heavy, cause i fucking love writing hinakage talking to each other. it's so much fun. they're so stupid i love them
> 
> thank yall so much for reading and sticking around through this stupidly long accidental hiatus, i love and appreciate every single one of you  
> i love reading every single comment i get, and i'm doing my best at the moment to actually respond to them, cause i didn't used to do that, so if you feel like leaving a comment or a kudos, it would be massively appreciated.  
> Thank you again so much for reading, and i hope to see yall in the next one!  
> peace out


	4. Hinata: Love

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoy!

Shouyou had been grinning for what felt like hours.

Hell, it might've been hours for all he knew, he didn't own a watch and he'd forgotten to bring his phone with him that morning, so he'd no way of even checking. Even still, in spite of how much his cheeks were beginning to ache, he couldn't wipe the smile from his face.

"I hope you realise how fucking badass that was."

He was right beside Tobio as he single-handedly stood up to his bullies (because that's what they were, no matter how much Tobio denied it), and walked away from the confrontation with his head held high.

Hinata knew just as well as the next person that by the looks on their faces, Kindaichi and Kunimi hadn't at all been expecting the conversation to take such a downwards turn.

Then again, he supposed it was only downhill for _them_.

Tobio had just reached the peak of the mountain.

"You've said it about eight times now, so I think I'm starting to get the gist, yeah."

Instead of taking the minibus with the rest of the team, they opted to get a lift with Ukai once more, saying their goodbyes to everyone and parting ways.

It didn't go unmissed how Suga pulled Tobio aside only a few minutes before they left. Shouyou had watched, still beaming, as the pair embraced.

Suga had become somewhat of an older brother to the ravenette in the past few months. It was funny how he was doing a better job than the sibling of Tobio's own flesh and blood, considering the fact that she'd been absent for the past year.

They asked if Ukai could drop them off before they got home, to give them some time alone. Shouyou was painfully aware they hadn't had any of that today.

Not long after being dropped off, they passed by an old play park. Of course, it was empty now that the sun had begun to set, hanging just over the horizon and washing the world around them in a dazzling orange glow.

Seating themselves on the swings, they gazed at the setting sky as time passed slowly onwards.

Shouyou thought back to earlier in the day, and decided to praise his boyfriend once more.

"Good, because it was," he nodded to himself resolutely, "I hope Oikawa kicks 'em off the team."

To his dismay, Tobio frowned at that, "hey, they may be assholes, but that's a little far."

"Why?" He demanded, "they did so many shitty things to you! Why should they be able to get away with it with nothing but a slap on the wrist?"

Rolling his eyes, the ravenette sighed, "believe me. If Oikawa doesn't like you, that in itself is a punishment."

"They should still be kicked from the team," Hinata firmly repeated.

"Maybe," Tobio shrugged.

"They should've been kicked from the team back in middle school," he repeated again.

"Yeah, probably."

Frowning, Shouyou realised quickly- quicker than he used to be able to- that Tobio had reverted to short, compliant answers.  
"Hey, stop that."

"What," the setter asked, his tone emotionless.

"You're doing that thing again."

"Gonna have to be more specific."  
Standing impatiently, the red head moved to be in front of the other boy's swing, and placed his hands on his hips, "you're giving really short responses because you want the conversation to be over."

The taller boy let out a sharp exhale, before hissing through his teeth, "sorry."

A moment of silence passed as Hinata stared down at his partner, irritated, only able to see the crown of his hair with his head lowered.

Finally, he shrugged, stalking back towards his own swing, before giving a reply he knew would get a reaction from the taller boy, "if you want me to shut up, I'll shut up."

Tobio leapt to his feet, "I don't want you to shut up!" He yelled. Hinata felt a slight stab of guilt as he heard the frustration in the ravenette's tone, "I just wanna stop talking about _this_! Today was going so well before those two showed up, and now every conversation I've had today since then was Kindaichi this and Kunimi that! I just want everything to stop revolving around them for _once_!"

Letting out a shaky breath, he took a step backwards, eyes widening as if shocked at his own outburst.

Hinata wouldn't be surprised if that was the case.

Taking a step forward, the shorter boy reached out a hand towards Tobio's, "I'm sorry," he said, "I should've realised you were uncomfortable."

Running one hand down his face, he let Shouyou take his other, "no. No, it's-" he stuttered, his eyes meeting the red head's, "I should've said something. It's okay."

The shorter took another step forwards, wrapping his arms around Tobio's middle, turning his head to rest in the crook of his partner's neck, "It's not, though. I made you uncomfortable and that's not okay. I'm sorry."

"I'm sorry for shouting at you."

  
Shouyou felt a sudden urge to laugh. For someone who used to be so angry and unforgiving, Tobio sure knew how to turn an apology on its head, "okay, well I'm not accepting your apology until you accept mine."

It seemed like he wasn't the only one with a giggle in his throat, "you're impossible."

Hinata pulled backwards, putting on his best proud expression, "yep. That I am."

"Fucking hell," the taller boy chuckled again breathily, hanging his head low.  
"C'mon, all you have to do is accept an apology, it's not that hard," the spiker teased, taking another step back, just out of Tobio's reach to touch unless he stepped forward also.

Exasperated yet still amused, Tobio groaned, "Oh my god, fine! I accept your stupid apology, now would you just come back here already?"

To Shouyou's surprised and delight, he _did_ step forward, reaching his arms up wrap around the shorter boy once more. Again, for someone who he used to see as so scary, Tobio sure was a teddy-bear.

Hinata pulled away again, prepared to make his boyfriend work for his cuddles, "'stupid'?! Oh woe is me!" his voice dripped with overacted drama, as he raised a hand to his forehead just as dramatically, "my dear, sweet, _blessed_ Tobio has used the most vulgar of language against poor little me! My innocent ears have been tainted!"

Tobio rolled his eyes, clearly holding back his laughter, "remind me why we're dating?"

Hinata smirked, "because you looove me."

"The worst decision I've ever made," the boy replied, stepping forward once more.

Gasping, Hinata jumped away again, "meanie! Tobio, you big meanie!"

"Yep. I'll have you know I used to be a feared King."

_Oh, so we're doing this are we?_

Shouyou's smirk returned, "is that right?"

"Biggest meanie around," the taller boy confirmed, looking almost proud of himself.

Hinata couldn't take it anymore, and let out a laugh, "aw, look at you. Getting all into the roleplay and everything!"

At that, a scarlet tint grew on the setter's cheeks, "I am not-"

"You totally are."  
"I was trying to get you to shut up!" Tobio defended.  
Shouyou smiled, all too aware the boy was only digging his hole further, "I thought you said earlier you didn't want me to shut up."

Spluttering, his face turned an even more vibrant red, "things change!"

Leaning in, the red head did not let the smirk fall from his lips, "Oh you wanna kiss me so bad-"

He was silenced by Tobio doing exactly that, gripping him by the collar and yanking him forward, their lips colliding more gently than Hinata had momentarily feared they would.

He let himself be surprised for only a moment, his eyes wide, before watching the determined expression on the setters face disappear as they both melted into the kiss. Shouyou let his eyes slip close, feeling nothing but the warmth of his boyfriend's body pressed against his, and the bliss of their lips moving together, their breath mingling in the air.

When they finally pulled apart, Hinata felt himself involuntarily chase after Tobio's mouth, and felt the furious, burning blush on his face when he opened his eyes, only to be met with an expression mirroring his own from moments prior.

An incredibly teasing, and pleased smirk.

Stepping away, much the same as Shouyou had done earlier ( _he was using his moves against him, the little bastard_ ), Tobio turned away, beginning to walk.

Staring after him, Shouyou stood, unsure of what to do.

Eventually, the ravenette turned, "c'mon, we're gonna be late for dinner at this rate."

The smirk remained on his lips.

The lips Hinata captured once again when he caught up to the taller boy.

And then again when they got back up to Tobio's bedroom.

And after dinner.

And when they lay together in bed that night, clinging to each other like their lives depended on it, and staring into each other's eyes like they were both the other's only lifeline.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay so this is pretty short but i like it  
> again, i have no idea how long the next chapter is gonna be, possibly long, but probably only about 2000 words. but then again, i could surprise myself lol. it is the final chapter of this series, so i'll try and do it justice.
> 
> so yeah this chapter is basically just them being gay. i love them. i love them a lot. hinata is a teasing little shit and i will forever stand by that. mans loves fucking with people, especially tobio.   
> i will also stand by the fact that they hug and kiss a lot. a) because tobes is touch starved, and b) because they just really like it, and love each other a whole lot lol
> 
> tbh this is pretty cringe in places, like the teasing bits, but i kinda wrote it as one of those moment when youre looking back at the stupid shit you did as a teen and are like "ewwww noooo". so essencially i'm saying that in five years or so, hinata is gonna look back on this moment and hate himself for it, and kags is gonna take the piss out of him for it.  
> they're both stupid and i love them
> 
> please please i beg you leave me a comment i love them. i love them so much. i'm trying to reply to most of them at the moment so please bro i love seeing what people have to say about my writing. okay cool thanks
> 
> I'LL SEE YOU GUYS IN THE FINAL CHAPTER WOOOOO


	5. Tobio: Memories

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here it is! At long last, the finale of the Ribs series!   
> I hope you enjoy!

Tobio hadn't felt this happy in a long time.

About three years, to be exact.

It was three years since his world began to fall to pieces around him, every single good thing he had slipping away in a cruel succession.

He knew better than anyone that there was nothing in existence that could replace the things he'd lost, nor the time he'd spent drowning in anguish and rage, completely alone. There was nothing anyone could do to erase the pain he'd endured, no matter how much he willed it so.

He'd spent three long years alone, misunderstood and more miserable than anyone around him could even begin to imagine.

Pleasant company was but a memory.

His grandfather was dead, his sister left, and he supposed he never really had any friends to begin with.

This was anything but the truth, now.

Of course, his start with the Karasuno volleyball team had been rocky, much the same as his individual relationships with the team members.

He was sure Sugawara wouldn't be too pleased with him joining the team, but surprisingly enough, he'd been the most welcoming of all. A little intimidating, but kind none the less. Though Tobio didn't really have room to talk, people were quite literally driven away from him after first meetings because of how intimidating he was.

He tried to tell them his face looked like this since birth.

No one listened.

Suga didn't seem to care about his scowl, which was suffice to say, a nice change.

He realised soon enough that very few members of the team were too put off by him. Tanaka once pointed out that it was because he never really directed his anger anywhere it wasn't necessary. It seemed Hinata and Tsukishima were the only ones really subjected to his yelling, the former more so.

Karasuno were a formidable bunch, Tobio found it unlikely they could be intimidated by anything, if he was being honest. Whether that was a sign of strength or stupidity, he wasn't sure.

He didn't much care.

Either way, the team accepted him. Aside from a few hiccups along the way, namely him being selected as starting setter, as well as the fight he and Shouyou had all those months ago, everything had been smooth sailing.

He'd be lying if he said he never wanted to be starting setter. What bothered him was how soon the opportunity came.

While he joined being perfectly content in waiting until third year to properly play, he was instead virtually forced into the position. Aoba Johsai took full advantage of Karasuno's desperate need for an opponent, and of course, Suga had to take the fall for it.

To say Tobio was upset would be an understatement.

He was mortified.

Not to mention absolutely terrified he might lose Suga as a friend, the only person he could confidently say was his friend so far. Yet there was nothing he could do besides apologise profusely and try to hide his fear.

Surprisingly enough though, Sugawara came back to practice the next day with a beaming smile on his face and forgiveness on his tongue. Well, it couldn't really be classed as forgiveness considering Suga assured him the situation wasn't even his fault to begin with.

Thankfully, Sugawara remained his friend, and his mentor.

It was no secret that he and Shouyou used to argue a lot.

Although, somewhere along the line, they both realised none of their comments were intended to be biting or malicious. Their fights shifted into something more teasing, almost banter.

It was also no secret that the pair grew close pretty quickly.

Despite having known him for such a short amount of time, it seemed the short red head had somehow managed to read Tobio's personality and temperament like a book. It was a level of understanding that Tobio had never been presented with before. The only person who'd ever succeeded in understanding Tobio, and loving him despite all the nasty bits he found, was Kazuyo. But somehow, Shouyou gradually broke down his many, many walls, and helped to ward off the fear, the sadness. Not entirely of course, there were still days where he'd find it difficult to climb out of bed, or days when he couldn't at all.

But it was nice having people who knew why.

It was nice having _people_. People who loved him.

The team loved him.

Suga loved him.

Ukai and his mother loved him.

Shouyou loved him.

Happiness was much more of a constant in his life now.

Everything had shifted on it's head, contentment prying depression's cold, harsh grip from his body, and wrapping him in a warm embrace. The cold would return from time to time, but he had his family to hold him through those moments now.

Nothing made that fact more evident than moments like these.

If the Tobio from a year ago was told he'd soon be sat around the table with a boyfriend, father figure and grandmother figure all at once, he'd scoff, entirely unbelieving. After all, he'd been shown time and time again that he wasn't wanted, why would that change now?

Yet alas, here he was, happily munching on pork curry, Shouyou at his side while Ukai and his mother bickered across from them.

Eventually, the back and forth comments began to slow, and the woman drew her attention to the rather amused teenagers across from them.

"Did you boy's have any plans for the evening?" She inquired.

"It already dark out, what could we even do?" Tobio responded, slightly confused. He wouldn't mind going out for a moonlit walk, but he doubted Ukai would allow it. Not because it was an unsafe neighbourhood , but rather he didn't trust them to not fall off a cliff or get hit by a car, or something else along those lines.

"Well, I assumed you'd want to spend some time together. If you wanna hang in the living room, I'm not gonna be using it," she nudged he son under the table, and Tobio assumed she was trying to be subtle. The look Keishin shot her in response completely undermined her intention.

"I was planning on cleaning up the shop a little, so that's fine with me," the blonde reasoned, shrugging.

Shouyou smiled up at him, "you feelin' up to watching a movie?"

The ravenette sighed, lips upturned, "sure, why not."

\-----------------------------------------

_"Can we watch this one?"_

_Small palms clutched excitedly at the DVD casing, raising it as high as possible._

_"That one's terrible, Tobes," Miwa called from the table, eyes lifting momentarily from the textbooks in front of her._

_The five year old gasped._

_How dare she say that about his favourite film! He would watch it every second of every day if he could, on a non-stop loop, because why wouldn't he? It was so good! But of course he couldn't do that, because they had designated movie nights, and they each had turns for picking the movies._

_Plus, if all he did was watch TV, then he wouldn't have any time for volleyball, and that simply wouldn't do. Even still, he was absolutely mortified._

_"No it's not!" He countered, raising the packaging towards her as if it would assist his argument, " it's got spaceships in it!"_

_Kazuyo chuckled warmly, entering the kitchen, "okay, okay. There's no need to argue," he turned to the teenager, "Miwa, we watched your pick last time, this time it's Tobio's turn."_

_The boy in question raised his arms triumphantly, grinning almost manically. Yes! Tobio was sure Kazuyo liked this film too. He would always cheer along with Tobio when the action got good, and he held him tighter against his side when it got to the sad or scary bits._

_It was impossible to not like this film._

_Miwa was just weird._

_A fact further proven by her next comment._

_"I've still got work to finish anyway, so watch what you want," the girl shrugged, her pen scratching away at the pages._

_Suddenly, Kazuyo was making the face Tobio didn't really understand. It was all sad and sort of tired. But there were other emotions there too, ones that the little boy couldn't quite identify yet._

_"Are you sure you can't join us?" He asked softly. Tobio had only been subject to this expression and tone of voice a few times, but it made him sad whenever it appeared. He didn't like making Kazuyo sad._

_"Yeah. I have an essay due next week and I need to get it done. You can watch your film without me."_

_The old man gazed at the girl a few seconds more, before finally she raised her head to look at him. Tobio watched as her expression softened upon eye contact. She rolled her eyes, before glancing back at her work, considering. Eventually, she let out a defeated sigh._

_"Fine, but you two can take the blame if I fail my essay," she stood, pointing a joking warning at the pair, a smirk on her lips._

_Tobio's grin grew again, as he bounded towards the living room, giggling all the way with Kazuyo and Miwa trailing after him._

_They went through the usual routine of Kazuyo gently prying the DVD from Tobio's little hands, and slotting it into the player before returning to the sofa. The toddler and teenager went through a deliberate effort of leaving a gap for him between them, which- considering how little Miwa participated in nights like these nowadays- was incredibly pleasant for him to see._

_The old man placed himself between them, lifting an arm to let the younger of the pair tuck against his side. Tobio snuggled in close, slotting comfortably into place, as Miwa held the remote and pressed play._

\------------------------------------------

"Geez. I told you it was gonna be bad."

Tobio snorted as the credits rolled across the screen, "hey, this was my favourite film when I was little," he defended half-heartedly.

The red head folded his arms across his chest, "you'd have to be _really_ little to like... whatever the hell that just was. And I mean full offence. What was baby you even thinking?"

Tobio chuckled again, leaning for the remote on the coffee table, "In my defence, I was five and I liked spaceships."

Shouyou groaned dramatically, "well, it definitely had a few of those. A good plotline, not so much."

The TV screen went black, bathing them in darkness as the ravenette hummed in an amused agreement, before flopping back against the sofa.

Moonlight slipped through the gap in the curtains, providing them with a low light, just enough to see each other's faces. A few moments passed in silence, the pair leant comfortably against each other, a blanket draped over their laps. The spiker hummed contemplatively before softly inquiring, "you liked spaceships?"

Shifting slightly, Tobio replied, "at some point, I guess so. Don't really remember that phase though."

Shouyou nodded, "my mom says I was obsessed with plants when I was little. I used to come home everyday covered in mud, apparently," the ravenette had to hold back a laugh at that. For some reason, the image of a tiny Shouyou covered head to toe in grime and muck seemed all too believable. "I think she just tells me that to guilt me into remembering not to track dirt through the house when I get home."

"Or," the setter tilted his head, "you were just a gremlin that liked dirt, for some reason."

"Or that, yeah."

"Not much has changed, then."

"Hey!" Shouyou gasped, before slamming a cushion in the taller boy's face, muffling his laughter, "asshole."

For once, Tobio decided not to retaliate, instead chuckling for a couple more beats, before letting the quiet overtake again. Shouyou, still grumbling, manoeuvred himself to a different position, one that allowed for them to snuggle slightly closer together.

"The twist really was awful, though," the shorter boy mumbled.

Tobio smiled, "it was, wasn't it."

"I mean," his hands shot out in front of him, gesticulating wildly, "he was her dead brother all along? Where did that come from?"

The ravenette decided to humour him, "it's kinda hard to imagine they actually had a plan when they started working on it."

Shouyou frowned, "there was no build up to that twist whatsoever. They literally just pulled that out the ass and expected the audience to buy it? Like, _what_?"

"Probably just wanted to spice it up a little," he shrugged, offering as little input as possible, curious to see where this rant would end up.

"They _kissed_! This brother posed as some guy, kissed his own sister and then at the end: oh no, he was your brother _and_ the main antagonist all along! Buy our film!"

"I'm pretty sure it was actually a really popular movie back when it came out. I went to see at the theatre like four times with my grandpa, and I remember it being full of people every time."

Shouyou turned to him, lips downturned in disgust, "that is disgraceful."

"What, me going to see it four times, or the people?"

"Both."

"Again, I was five."

"Not an excuse."

"Fair."

"Four times though? Why did you need to see it _four times_?"

"I liked it. There weren't really many films that I enjoyed, so I guess grandpa decided to humour me. Plus, I'm pretty sure he liked it too."

"Okay fine. That's a valid reason, I guess."

"I'm glad you approve."

"Don't patronise me, bucko. This is a terrible film, and baby Tobio was delusional, spaceships be damned."

"You didn't even like the spaceships?"

Sighing, the spiker shook his head, a smile on his lips as the tension left his body, "you know what? Fuck this, c'mere," he said tugging the other boy forward by the collar.

It seemed he tugged a little too hard, as the pair went careening backwards before falling against the sofa cushions, the ravenette's head colliding with the shorter boy's chest. Letting out a soft sound upon impact, Tobio decided not to question the new position, instead choosing to wrap his arms around the red head's back.

"Okay well, I meant to kiss you, but this works too."

Tobio responded with a noncommittal grunt. Quiet washed over them once more. It stretched for slightly longer this time, allowing the setter time to nearly drift off to sleep, before Shouyou's soft tone reached his ears, "so your grandpa liked that film too, huh?"

Blinking his eyes open, the ravenette lifted himself into a more upright position, suddenly feeling the atmosphere shift.

"I don't know," he replied, thinking back, "he used to yell at the screen with me whenever any interesting stuff happened. And he hugged me during the stuff I found scary. But in hindsight, he was probably just doing that to make me happy."

Even in the dark, he could see Shouyou's eyes soften, "it's not just the movie you like, is it?"

"I mean, most people have things that make them remember stuff, right? This movie is just one of those things."

"Do you have any other things? That make you remember?"

"I guess I always kinda looked at it as big things, and little things. Being in the house is one of the big things. Volleyball too. This movie is one of the little things," he paused, letting his gaze drift absently to the window, and then to the pale glow of the moon.

"We used to eat dinner while watching matches, me and Kazuyo," he began, smiling to himself, "I'd get home from school, he'd sit with me and help with my homework, we'd go out and practice together for a little while, and then we'd come home and make food together.

"We sat in the same seats at the table every day," his smile faltered as he hesitated, the memories quickly becoming bittersweet, "I think that's one of the hardest parts about it. Falling out the routine. You realise how much someone was in your life. How much time you spent with them every day. How much stuff you did together.

"After he was gone, I stuck to the same routine. I just didn't have anyone to do it with. Sometimes I'd forget when I was laying the table, or setting up the chairs, that there weren't two of us anymore."

Clasping his hand, Shouyou gave his palm an encouraging squeeze, one that said, _I'm here for you_.

Tobio startled out of the memories slightly, turning his eyes to the boy beside him, "but yeah. I mostly just like the film 'cause it reminds me of good times. When he was still here."

Twisting to face the taller boy, Shouyou opened his arms, an offering for embrace. Tobio accepted with haste.

They rocked slowly for a few minutes, a tangle of limbs and blankets and cushions, before the smaller boy- for the umpteenth time- spoke into the silence.

"It's a nice night," he mumbled, fiddling with the hair at the ravenette's nape.

"It is," Tobio responded.

"I still have energy."

Smirking, the taller boy pulled away to look the other in the eyes, "are you asking me to go on a walk with you in the middle of the night?" He deadpanned.

Shouyou replied with nothing but a sheepish grin.

\----------------------------------

_"When do you think Miwa will be able to come out with us again?"_

_Kazuyo's expression twisted. He flashed a small smile, hiding an emotion Tobio wasn't able to identify, "your sister is very busy nowadays, Tobio."_

_To say he was surprised by the answer would be a lie. The child knew his sister was busy, and she didn't have much time for her family anymore, but surely she'd be able to free up a little bit of space for them at some point?_

_Tobio could no longer count the amount of walks (because that's what they were now, Kazuyo was too old to run anymore) that Miwa had missed on his ten fingers. In fact, that'd been the case for a while. They had to be at twenty, maybe thirty now, considering they went on these ventures almost every other evening._

_The boy frowned, coming to a stop, "what is she even spending so much time doing?"_

_Kazuyo came to a stop just ahead, turning to face his grandson, "studying, mostly. But she's also spending time with friends, and planning for her club, too."_

_"But why can't she spend time with_ us _? Why do her friends get to have her all the time?" Tobio grumbled, crossing his arms over his chest._

_"She's gonna be an adult soon, Tobes," Kazuyo responded, going to kneel in front of the boy, voice gentle and eyebrows furrowed in sympathy, "she's gotta have a life outside of her family. I know it hurts, because you look up to her, and you wanna spend time with her. But I promise she loves you, and when she gets the chance, I'm sure she'll spend time with you," he cupped Tobio's little cheeks in his palms, "she's just got a lot on her mind, right now."_

_Bottom lip quivering, the ravenette leaped into his grandpa's arms, nearly sending them both to the ground. Thankfully, Kazuyo managed to steady them, wrapping his arms tight around the little boy, and pressing a kiss to the top of his head._

_The child would later learn the reasoning behind his sister's distance was not that her time was being spent elsewhere, but rather she simply did not want Tobio as company._

_That fact soon became a common trend in the boy's life._

_"You'll hang out with me though, right?" He asked, his voice strained through the tears._

_"Of course I will, sweetheart," Kazuyo responded firmly, leaving no room for any doubt, "I'm not going anywhere."_

_They would both later discover that statement to be a lie, when Kazuyo is diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia, and dies three years into his battle with it._

\--------------------------------------

"Oh my god, why are we running?"

"I told you! I still have energy, I'm trying to burn it off!"

"It's eleven o'clock at night, stop yelling."

Shouyou smirked, "make me!"

Unsurprisingly, Tobio did exactly that, a sly grin stretching across his lips as he leapt at the shorter boy, tackling him to the grass beside the path.

Laughing through panted breaths, the pair struggled against each other, rolling and wrestling across the ground. The red head momentarily managed to get on top of the taller boy, pinning him down, before Tobio slip a knee upwards, jabbing him in the chest and gaining him the upper hand again.

Shouyou used the momentum from his fall to grab the ravenette by the collar, dragging them both backwards, before he swung his arms around, throwing Tobio down again- this time on his front- and placing a knee at the centre of his back.

"This isn't over," the defeated boy huffed, finally giving in.

"See. Energy," Shouyou responded matter-of-factly.

"Point taken."

The knee behind him disappeared, and Tobio rolled onto his back, expecting to be met with the bright glare of the moon and stars. Instead, he found the smug face of his boyfriend, only inches from his own.

"I win."

"I made you stop yelling, though," the taller boy shrugged, "pretty sure that means _I_ win."

"You are literally still pinned beneath me right now- hey, don't make that face at me, you dirty bastard- you're pinned. That makes me the winner. That's the rules."

"What rules?" He replied, raising an eyebrow, "that was play-fighting. There aren't any rules except 'don't kill each other'."

Shouyou groaned, "yeah, well. There are rules now. And this is one of 'em."

Tobio sighed fondly, "dumbass."

Leaning down, he pressed their lips together in a chaste kiss, "again, I'm not the one who's pinned," Shouyou replied softly, almost daringly.

Chuckling, Tobio finally shoved him off, and the spiker landed on his back just beside him. They were quick to intertwine their hands.

Falling into silence, for the next few minutes, they let the world move around them as they remained unmoving, staring up at the sky.

Wind whistled past his ears, ruffling his hair and the trees around them. The faint smell of humidity didn't go unnoticed, and he grimaced as he realised they'd have no umbrella if it rained. For the moment, he pushed the thought away in favour of focusing on the view above him.

He and Kazuyo had been to this exact place, once.

Of course, it wasn't in the dead of night, as Tobio had only been seven or eight at that point, but even still, he seemed to remember spending the time here much the same as he was now.

Staring up at the sky.

Back then it had been a blended palette of pinks and purples and oranges, draping a blanket of astonishing hues onto the landscape. Now, it was an inky black expanse, littered with the tiny lights of stars and the surface of the moon reflecting the sun's rays.

The only difference was the sky, and the change in company.

"Hey," he started quietly, wincing as he broke the silent atmosphere they'd created.

Shouyou turned his head, the blue moon reflecting in his eyes.

"Can I take you somewhere? It's not far from here."

Squeezing his hand encouragingly, the red head smiled, "of course. Lead the way."

\--------------------------------------

_"I'm going back to Tokyo."_

_"I thought you were gonna stay for more than one night."_

_"Things change," she hissed, "I'm leaving once I've dropped you off."_

_Tobio stared, "you're not even staying tonight?"_

_Miwa continued to glare at the road, not so much as sparing a glance at her brother as her silence spoke for her._

_A sudden anger surged through his veins, "what did I ever do to you?" He demanded, fist clenching in his lap, "why the hell do you hate me so much?"_

_"I'm not having this conversation with you right now-"_

_"Then when?" He growled, "'cause you're apparently not staying here like we planned, and you're not exactly gonna visit, are you?"_

_Finally, she turned to him briefly, mouth drawn in a snarl, "who the hell said I wasn't gonna visit?"_

_"Based on your track record, you can't exactly blame me for thinking that!" The boy replied, letting his volume increase slightly, "this is the first time you've been home in over a year, and it's for our grandfather's funeral!"_

_"I had shit I was doing! I have a life outside of you!"_

_"I'm not even a part of your life, and neither was Kazuyo! Even after he was diagnosed you barely ever visited!"_

_"I have a job, Tobio! I have a fucking life! I don't have time for-"_

_"For what? Your fucking family? Did you just conveniently forget we existed or something?"_

_"And what the hell were you doing then, huh?" She rounded on him, her tone accusatory, "he was home from the hospital for three fucking weeks and you didn't notice something was wrong with him?"_

_"You haven't been here at all! At least I can say I was actually there for him!"_

_"Well it doesn't fucking seem like it since he dropped dead under your watch!"_

_What stung most about the statement was it was clear the words hadn't just slipped out. There was no trace of surprise on her face, as if she hadn't really meant it, and she was just angry. No, there was intent in her tone, in her expression. She meant every word of it, to the very depths of her soul._

_What she didn't know, is that those words would haunt Tobio for years._

_What she didn't know, was that she had just solidified, and given total validity to every single piece of her brother's self hatred._

_What she didn't know, was that she had simply verbalised what Tobio had been thinking ever since that call from the hospital._

_He had no words to throw back at her._

_When they pulled up to the house, he climbed out and grabbed his stuff from the backseat. He only managed to mumble a bitter, "drive safe," before he slammed the door shut, and stepped back into the yellow glow of the streetlamp._

_He did not wait for Miwa to respond, and she did not roll down her window to do so. She pulled off the curb, and drove away._

_Tobio stepped into an empty house after fumbling with the key for a few moments. Immediately, he was met with Kazuyo's smiling face on every wall, in picture after picture._

_Dumping his stuff at the door, he ventured into the kitchen, placing himself at the table. Opposite Kazuyo's chair._

_He cried._

\-------------------------------------------------

"So where are we actually headed?"

"You'll see."

Shouyou raised an eyebrow, "cryptic."

"It's not anything ridiculous. Don't worry," Tobio replied, rolling his eyes.

"Oh believe me, I'm not worrying," the red head scoffed, "what I _am_ worried about is the very possible fact that we could be kidnapped right now."

If it was possible, Tobio rolled his eyes even harder, "just 'cause it's dark, doesn't mean we're gonna get kidnapped."  
"Have you ever seen literally _any_ movie? This is exactly how people get kidnapped."

"Why would anyone wanna kidnap _you_ anyway? You'd talk their ears off."

"See, you basically just said I'd be able to evade being kidnapped," the spiker smirked, "therefore I'm taking that as a compliment."

"Then you're an idiot. And you still talk too much."

"You know, some people say the ability to voice thoughts without fear is a sign of strength."

"Or it's a sign you don't think before you speak."

"Which _can_ be a good thing."

"And it can get you beat up. Or kidnapped."

"And now we've come full circle. Impressive."

Tobio groaned, "oh my god, we are _not_ going to get _kidnapped_."

"Hey, for all you know I could be leading a double life. Every second I'm not by your side I could be living a life of crime and you'd have absolutely no idea."

"I doubt it. You probably wouldn't be able to hold back from talking about it."

"I can keep many a secret, thank you very much," the shorter boy pouted.

"Oh yeah, like what?"

"It's a secret."

"Okay fair," he nodded, "I thought you'd fall for that."

"See, I told you. Double life."

"Based on how much time you spend with me, I think leading a double life would be difficult."

"I spend at least half the week at my house. That's plenty of time to get up to mischief."

"You're calling crime 'mischief'. I'm going to assume you've never committed a crime in your life."

"Ah-ha!" He pointed animatedly, "see, that's all just a part of my ruse. I'm going for clueless teenager, and evidently it's working."

"And you're sure it's nothing to do with the fact that you _are_ a clueless teenager, who's never once gone against the law in his entire life?"

"You don't know anything about me."

Tobio raised an eyebrow, "I know that you prefer being the big spoon. And that you don't like being picked up."

The red head replied with a frown, "okay, those ones are obvious-"

"I know you hate studying, but you'll still try and walk me through the bits I don't get, even if you don't fully understand either."

"Again, not exactly-"  
"I know you were kind enough to spend every single day with me at the start of my recovery. Even when I smelled gross and put up a fuss about everything, and was just generally infuriating."

His expression hardened, "hey, that's not fair to you. You were hurt, it's expected that you-"

"I know you're kind enough to correct my self deprecation literally right now."

"You're my boyfriend, what d'you expect me to-"  
"And I know that you love me and trust me enough to stick around all this time, and follow me when you have no idea where we're going."

"Of course I do! I trust you no matter what!"

"Exactly," Tobio finished, smug, "so apparently I do know at least a few bits and pieces about you. I know you're too empathetic to be a criminal."

"Fine," Shouyou grumbled, folding his arms over his chest, "you win. But only 'cause you said nice things about me."

"I thought I won 'cause I was right. But sure," the taller boy shrugged.

They fell into silence for a few minutes. Shouyou found Tobio's hand and interlocked them, swinging them in time with their steps.

"I still have no idea where we're going," he said.

"We're nearly there now. Just a few more turns."

"Can you give me a clue?"

"I wanted you to meet some people. They mean a lot to me."

The red head seemed to sense the shift in mood as he realised the area they were in, "hang on, isn't this nearby the-"

"The graveyard, yeah."

On that note, they fell into silence again, as finally the realisation of where Tobio was guiding them sunk in.

Only a few steps later, the rusted iron gates of the cemetery came into view. As usual, the ravenette was pleased to find they were left unlocked and unguarded.

Leading them past the graves, a few lamps sat beside the path, lighting the way.

"This place isn't locked up at night?" Shouyou asked quietly.

"It used to be, but all of these graves are pretty old and cheap. It stopped being properly looked after when they realised it wasn't worth the money."

Shouyou grimaced, "that's horrible."

"Maybe. But on the bright side, it makes it easier to visit my family whenever I want."

"How often did you used to come here?" The boy inquired with only slight hesitation.

"Most nights," the other responded.

Eventually they came to a stop in front of three identical graves. They were simple, and clearly fairly cheap, just as Tobio explained. There were no ornate patterns, nor planted flowers surrounding the stones. All they had was the engravings on their front, names, dates, and a few short words.

Tobio pointed to each of them, "that one is my mom's. That one is my dad's. And that's Kazuyo's."

Kazuyo's was evidently significantly newer than the other two.

It was clear Shouyou wasn't quite sure what to do. Tobio couldn't blame him, it wasn't like he'd been in this situation before. He doubted being led to a graveyard in the middle of the night by your depressed boyfriend was a common occurrence. So Tobio led, sitting on the grass and gesturing for Shouyou to do the same.

"'May your torment cease forevermore'. That's what it says on dad's headstone," the ravenette said, nodding in the stone's general direction, "mom's says, 'Each flower that blooms, another wilts'."

Hazel eyes gazed curiously at him, waiting patiently for him to continue. When the ravenette let out a sigh, the other boy placed a hand on his knee, giving a gentle squeeze.

He'd been wanting to share this detail about himself for a while now, though he was never quite sure how to say it. He supposed now was a better time than any.

"My mother died giving birth to me, and my father deliberately crashed his car when I was about six months old."

It was obvious he'd tried to muffle it, but it wasn't hard to miss the sharp gasp Shouyou let out.

"You don't have to say anything. I just wanted you to know. It's about the only thing you don't actually know about me, at this point," he tried to joke. From the red head's devastated expression, it was clear the joke didn't land.

As per Tobio's suggestion, Shouyou offered no response outside of the occasional squeeze of his knee, neither of the pair taking their eyes off the headstones and the words carved into them.

In the past, Tobio had applied much more thought to his deceased parents.

He knew it was impossible to miss them in the traditional sense, considering he'd never met them, but he knew it was all too possible to miss the idea of someone.

He'd often pondered what his life would be like were his parents still alive.

Miwa likely wouldn't hate him.

Though she'd never voiced it, it wasn't hard to see how she blamed him for their parents death. And why shouldn't she? Suddenly her mother was gone, and her father was a shell of the man he'd been before, and it was all because of the screaming, crying new person who'd barrelled into her life.

Tobio's existence cost their mother her life, and their father his will to go on. And yet Miwa was still somehow expected to care for him.

How was that fair?

He wondered if he'd be as close to his grandfather as he was.

Of course, Kazuyo wouldn't have raised him, but perhaps they still might've known each other well. If he'd never been so close to Kazuyo, it was doubtful he'd have found his love of volleyball. And wouldn't that be tragic.

All in all, his parents were never a particularly pressing subject in his mind. He visited most days and paid his respects, talking to each of the headstones and relaying the day's events.

He felt the crushing guilt each day, too. He wondered what his family would be like had he never been born.

He wondered if they'd be happy.

"I think they'd be proud of the person you've become," Shouyou said, breaking Tobio out of his thoughts and giving him something entirely new to consider.

"Really?"

"I do," he replied, a soft smile gracing his features, "I know I would be. Because I already am."

Tobio huffed a laugh, "you're so cheesy, you know that?"

"Yes, I do. I've made peace with it. It's a part of me now," he said, almost smug.

Humming softly, Tobio turned back to the headstones, "you really think they'd be proud of me?"

Shouyou's tone dropped back into seriousness, "hey, of course they would be. You are single-handedly the strongest, most incredible person I've ever met."

Opening his mouth to respond, the taller boy was quickly silenced by a finger to his lips, "ah- I wasn't finished. I'm not saying that because you're my boyfriend. It's literally the opposite. You're my boyfriend, _because_ of that. Because you're strong. And because I love you, and I am _so_ proud of how far you've come in the past few months."

Tobio steadfastly resisted the urge to cry.

"You know," he began slowly, the tightness in his voice partially giving him away, "I think you diving into me and breaking my ribs was probably the best thing to ever happen to me."

"It did kinda set a ball rolling, didn't it," the spiker chuckled.

"I mean, I've basically got a whole ass family now," he hummed, "which is something I never thought I'd be able to say again."

"And a boyfriend, don't forget the boyfriend."

He laughed, "that too."

Much the same as earlier, they let a few moments pass in silence, allowing the world to move around them.

"It's late," Tobio said.

"Did you wanna go home?"

He hummed, "it would probably be a good idea."

Standing swiftly, Shouyou offered a palm, yanking the taller boy to his feet. They both spared a final glance at the stones.

"We can bring flowers, next time we come."

"Yeah. Yeah, I'd like that."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And there it is, the final chapter.   
> I posted the first chapter of this series about six months ago, and good god I did not imagine I would end up writing this much for it. In total, I've written six works, and about 60k words for this fic. And at the time of starting, I didn't even know if I'd end up finishing the first installment, let alone six.
> 
> I want to thank every single person who has taken the time to read this series, and especially those who have also taken the time to comment. The regulars who pop up in every single comment section of every single chapter, thank you so much for your endless support, it's thanks to you guys that I was even able to finish this series. 
> 
> I also want to thank user MyBodyIsReady, for all of their help behind the scenes. Literally I couldn't have done this without you bro thank you so much for putting up with my ranting and raving about this series I love you fam.
> 
> The first and original installment, Collisions and Consequences, now has over 11k hits, and good lord I never imagined this stupid little fic about kags getting hurt would be seen so much.
> 
> Basically, I just want to say thank you, to everyone. I cannot even begin to word how much your support means to me. I hope some of you stick around to see what other works I have in store.
> 
> I wish every single one of you the best, and I hope you stay safe in these trying times.  
> Wash your hands, wear a mask, and be kind.   
> I love you guys, thank you so, so much for reading and commenting.
> 
> peace out


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